Chapter plan
What you will complete
01Spring Ecosystem vs Framework vs BootBuild a precise ownership map: Spring is a portfolio, Spring Framework supplies the core programming model, and Spring Boot assembles production-ready Spring applications.Spring PortfolioSpring FrameworkSpring Boot 30 min02Create Your First Spring Boot ApplicationGenerate a project on Spring Initializr, run it, and serve a first HTTP endpoint—the smallest complete Boot application.Spring InitializrRunning the appFirst endpoint 15 min03Spring Boot Project Anatomy & Package DesignUnderstand every source directory, classpath resource, scan boundary, test mirror, build artifact, and feature package in a production-friendly project.Root Package & ScanningFeature-first DesignClasspath Resources 35 min04Spring Boot StartersA starter is one coordinate that pulls a curated, mutually compatible set of libraries; the Boot BOM decides their versions so you rarely have to.spring-boot-starter-webTransitive DependenciesBill of Materials (BOM) 15 min05How Auto-configuration WorksBoot decides what to configure by evaluating classpath and bean conditions at startup; learn to read those decisions instead of guessing at them.@EnableAutoConfigurationAutoConfiguration.imports@ConditionalOnClass 20 min
Module outcome
Explain which capabilities come from Java, Spring Framework, Spring Boot, and other Spring projects—and organize a project so Boot can discover it predictably.
Mental model
Spring Framework supplies the programming model and runtime foundations; Spring Boot assembles them with curated dependencies, conditional defaults, executable packaging, external configuration, and operational conventions.
Module checkpoint
Inspectable Catalog Service
Create a Java 21 Boot application, inspect its dependency graph and condition report, then organize one product feature beneath the root package.
- Labels each dependency or annotation by owning Spring project
- Explains why each auto-configuration matched or backed off
- Shows package scanning and classpath resources working after JAR packaging
Final module assessment
Ready to prove mastery?
Complete all 50 questions after finishing the module lessons and checkpoint.